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Obama Restores Endangered Species Act Provision

A mother Polar Bear rests on the frozen tundra with her cubs waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over in 2007 in Manitiba, Canada. (AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)

Today President Obama will restore rules requiring U.S. agencies consult with independent federal experts to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species, according to an administration official who asked not to be identified, marking yet another reversal of President Bush's environmental legacy.

Posted in biodiversity, conservation, obama

Human Factor Suspected in Mass Beaching of Whales in Australia

Some of the 200 pilot whales which beached themselves on an island near Australia's southern state of Tasmania (Photo: Reuters)

Conservationists are demanding an immediate and thorough inquiry into what they say is the suspicious stranding of 200 whales and dolphins.

Fears that the mass stranding on an Australian beach on Sunday was caused by human disturbance were raised because two species of cetacean came ashore simultaneously.

Most of the animals were pilot whales, but a number of bottlenose dolphins were also among the pod.

Residents joined wildlife workers to spend hours keeping the surviving animals wet and cool before they could be lifted, pushed and hauled back into the water.

Posted in conservation, Environment, Militarism, oceans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2009
12:41 PM

CONTACT: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Kate Slusark, 917-553-5099

New Ocean Report Card: Florida Making Progress, But Not There Yet

Environmental experts deliver first-of-a-kind progress report to Capitol

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - March 2 - While Florida has made several improvements in its efforts to restore the health of its ocean and coasts, the state still has work to do, according to a report card released today by a group of nationally and internationally recognized environmental organizations. The report card evaluated the progress the state has made in reversing the decline of its ocean and coastal resources in 2007 and 2008.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Links:
Posted in conservation, Environment, oceans

Ottawa Wades Into Oilsands Debate

A National Geographic article highlighting the environmental toll of the Alberta oilsands is a crippling blow to the industry, columnist Don Martin writes. (photograph: Rick MacWilliam, Edmonton Journal)

OTTAWA - The House of Commons environment committee is wading into a raging public relations war over the Alberta oilsands with a study of the industry's impact on water resources.

The MP who proposed the study is Montreal-area Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia. In an interview, he said he assured Conservative MPs - sensitive about an industry in the heart of their political bastion - that the study "is not about a witch hunt" in a sector of the energy industry that some environmentalists are campaigning to have shut down.

Posted in conservation, Energy, Environment, Indigenous peoples, oil, oil sands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009
2:34 PM

CONTACT: National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
Andrea Keller Helsel, National Parks Conservation Association, P: 202.454.3332

National Parks Conservation Association Praises Obama Administration Budget Proposal for National Parks

Statement by National Parks Conservation Association President Tom Kiernan

WASHINGTON - February 27 - "In keeping with his campaign promise to address the critical needs of our national parks, President Obama has proposed a fiscal year 2010 budget for the national parks that continues the federal commitment toward restoring our national parks in time for the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service.

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NPCA is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National Park System.
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Links:
Posted in conservation, obama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2009
2:08 PM

CONTACT: International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Colleen Cullen (IFAW, Headquarters)
+1 508 744 2236
ccullen@ifaw.org

Elizabeth Wamba (IFAW, Kenya)
254 20 3870540
ewamba@ifaw.org

Poachers Kill Five Elephants in Kenya’s Most Critical Elephant Habitat

NAIROBI, Kenya - February 24 - Five elephants have been poached in the last six weeks in the Tsavo ecosystem of Kenya, alarming authorities and conservationists alike. The elephants, whose tusks had been hacked off, were found in three separate parts of the protected area.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers arrested two suspected poachers and one middleman from their hideout in the park, and recovered two AK-47 rifles and 38 rounds of ammunition. The middleman had already sold off the tusks to other dealers in the illegal ivory trade network.

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Posted in biodiversity, conservation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2009
8:31 PM

CONTACT: Center for Biological Diversity
Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495

Appropriation Committee Moves Omnibus Appropriations Bill Giving Obama Administration Power to Remove Midnight Regulations

Weakening Endangered Species Act

Bill Would Allow Administration to Rescind Special Rule for Polar Bear

WASHINGTON - February 23 - The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee moved an omnibus appropriations bill today that if passed, will give President Obama power to rescind rules weakening both the Endangered Species Act and protections for the polar bear. If it passes the Senate, the Obama administration will be able to rescind rules without going through a new formal rule making process.

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At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature - to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.
Center for Biological Diversity Links:
Posted in biodiversity, conservation

Hundreds Call for End to Mining Damage

Patrick Dunn of Berea was one of hundreds at a rally in Franfordt yesterday against mountaintop removal mining. A proposed bill would restrict placing waste rock in hollows where streams are being buried. (Courier-Journal)

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Fresh from her well-publicized skirmish with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin over aerial hunting of wolves, actress Ashley Judd delivered a broadside attack on the coal industry yesterday in Frankfort.

In a spirited speech before several hundred people who oppose strip-mining Appalachian mountains for coal, the Kentucky native railed against "the unchecked power of the coal companies" and lamented the loss of mountains that give the region's residents such a strong sense of identity.

Posted in Activism, coal, conservation, Environment, mountain top removal, protest

Wetlands Decline Along East, Gulf Coasts, Report Shows

Aerial view of Hazen Bay wetlands. (photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

WASHINGTON - A new U.S. government report Tuesday shows a high rate of decline in wetlands along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, raising concerns about habitat for migratory birds and sea life as well as for humans, who also need wetlands as buffers from stormy seas.

Posted in conservation, Environment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2009
1:24 PM

CONTACT: American Rivers
Kathryn Swartz, American Rivers, 419-936-3759
Joan Freele, New England Rain Barrel, 781-910-9036

Go Green This Spring: Save Water, Save Money, and Prevent Pollution

Save over 30% off the purchase of a rain barrel

TOLEDO, Ohio - February 17 - For the first time this year, Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan residents have the opportunity to save money and water by purchasing discounted rain barrels, thanks to a partnership between American Rivers, the Toledo Stormwater Program, the Rain Garden Initiative of Toledo Lucas County and The New England Rain Barrel Company. Rain barrels help residents use water more wisely and reduce pollution in local streams by capturing stormwater runoff. 

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American Rivers is the only national organization standing up for healthy rivers so our communities can thrive. Through national advocacy, innovative solutions and our growing network of strategic partners, we protect and promote our rivers as valuable assets that are vital to our health, safety and quality of life.

Founded in 1973, American Rivers has more than 65,000 members and supporters nationwide, with offices in Washington, DC and the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, California and Northwest regions.

American Rivers Links:
Posted in conservation, Food/Water
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